I’ve known Sohnee for a while now and we always have fun and candid discussions about beauty so I was thrilled when she agreed to help me review some products! Look out for her regular reviews on the blog! Her first review is on the Avon Elements products.
*****
“Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you greet me…soft and white, clean and bright, you look happy to meet me…”
I love The Sound of Music and that song was in my head when I first tried the Avon Elements nourishing cleansing milk and refining scrub and mask. Both of these skincare products contain Edelweiss flower extract and they were both really great to use.
Avon Elements Nourishing Cleansing Milk
What I like about this cleansing milk is that it’s oil-free, but still leaves your skin feeling moisturized. The milk comes out of the bottle sort of like a lotion, then you massage it onto your face and you can either wipe it off with a tissue or wash it off. After having a full face of makeup on for a full day, it felt really nice to take it all off without having to scrub my face into a frenzy! It has a mild scent and left my skin feeling soft and clean (maybe not white and bright, though!).
It even works on waterproof eye makeup and again, I didn’t need to spend time scrubbing everything off my face. It did a really great job at cleaning off all the makeup and impurities my face was exposed to over the course of the day. While Avon suggests that you use it as a daily cleanser in the morning and at night, I liked using it as a makeup remover at the end of the day. I have incorporated this product into my daily nighttime routine and will definitely look into Avon’s other skincare products!
Avon Elements Refining Scrub & Mask
This cleanser is a 3-in-1 product, meaning it can clean, exfoliate, and refine the look of your skin. The bottle says that you can use it as a daily scrub or as a weekly mask. I prefer to exfoliate thoroughly once a week, so I opted to try it as a mask. As soon as I started to spread the cream on my face, I could feel the cooling sensation from the menthol. After around 5 minutes, the mask hardened, but was very easy to wash off. It left my skin feeling clean and refreshed. It almost felt like my skin could take a deep breath again!
The second ingredient in this scrub/mask is kaolin. Also known as china clay, kaolin is a commonly used soft white clay that is an essential ingredient in many cosmetics. This is because of its natural absorbency properties, making it the perfect natural ingredient for a facial mask. It also includes rice starch, again, to help with absorbency, but also for a mattefying finish. Alongside these ingredients, the scrub also contains some salicylic acid and glycolic acid, so for anyone with sensitivities against these products, you may want consider another scrub.
Why Edelweiss?
Originally grown in the high altitudes in the Swiss Alps, this flower has been used for a multitude of reasons for centuries. It was originally used to help with abdominal and respiratory disease. Now, it is used in many cosmetics and skin care products as an anti-aging ingredient. Studies have looked at its soothing anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties as well as its cell protection properties that allow healthy skin cells to grow while neutralizing free radicals. By doing a little more research into this plant, I also found that it contains other compounds that can be really beneficial to the skin. Beyond its free radical scavenging, Edelweiss extract can also fight off bacteria and some UV rays, making it a great compound to include in sunblocks. It creates an overall soothing, calming effect while still helping with keeping your skin clean and bright. I guess the song was right!
*****
Thanks so much Sohnee for such and in depth review! I love menthol so the scrub/mask is definitely on my radar 😉
Sohnee is a genetic counsellor by day, a product reviewer by night, and a cat whisperer on weekends. She loves to try out all things beauty related, but will always be curious about the science underneath. Follow her on Twitter @SohneeAhmed.